Articles by Date : February 01 2006 - February 28 2006

Shot game is food
Kit Davidson of Animal Aid (Letters, Caterer, 26 January, page 22) is wrong about game shooting. Pheasants are not bred as "hapless targets" for.... more
(09 February 2006 00:00)

Keep Fairmont Canadian
I was disappointed to read of the planned takeover of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts by Kingdom Hotels and Colony Capital (Caterer, 2 February, page 7). more
(09 February 2006 00:00)

The Restaurant Group to return £35m to shareholders
Frankie & Benny owner The Restaurant Group plans to return £35m to shareholders after its successful sale of Caffé Uno. more
(08 February 2006 16:47)

Alcohol related crime drops after introduction of new licensing laws
Alcohol related crime has fallen in the months after the introduction of new licensing laws in England and Wales, according to the latest Home Office.... more
(08 February 2006 16:06)

Food service briefing
A round-up of the latest news from the contract catering industry including: ESS wins first MoD multi-activity contract; PricewaterhouseCoopers signs.... more
(08 February 2006 14:39)

Yotel looks for sales and marketing director
Yotel, the budget capsule hotel concept, is on the hunt for its first sales and marketing director. more
(08 February 2006 11:14)

Legacy hotel group launches
Two former MacDonald Hotel directors have launched a new hotel company, Legacy Hotels and Resorts. more
(08 February 2006 11:14)

Travelodge is ready to resist £1b Whitbread takeover bid
Travelodge rallied its defences publicly for the first time this week following increasing speculation that rival Whitbread was preparing a £1b.... more
(08 February 2006 00:00)

Industry welcomes training course for care home caterers
The UK’s first training course for care home caterers has been hailed as a positive step by the industry. more
(07 February 2006 16:47)

M&B and Whitbread linked to deals
Mitchells & Butlers, the listed pub group, is rumoured to be taking a close look at Whitbread’s pub restaurant business. more
(07 February 2006 15:48)

Pro-smokers attack smoking-ban proposals
Opponents of a smoking ban in enclosed public places held a news conference at the House of Commons this morning to voice their anger ahead of MP's.... more
(07 February 2006 14:51)

Licensing reform affects improved trading at Regent Inns
Preparations for liquor licensing reform dampened late-night bar operator Regent Inn's recovery in the second half of 2005. more
(07 February 2006 14:14)

Admiral buys 376 pubs from KUC
Admiral Taverns has agreed to buy 376 tenanted pubs from KUC (Public Houses) for £137.5m in cash. more
(07 February 2006 12:58)

Alan Yau's Busaba Eathai to offer takeaways
Alan Yau’s casual dining concept Busaba Eathai has added a takeaway service offering. more
(07 February 2006 12:49)

Ally Pally set for overhaul by leisure mogul
London landmark Alexandra Palace is set to be transformed into a leisure complex after the local council announced Firoka as the preferred bidder for.... more
(07 February 2006 12:49)

Final Call for Northern awards entries
You only have until 20 February to enter the inaugural Northern Hospitality Awards. more
(07 February 2006 10:51)

Chef Eats Out – Locanda Locatelli
There are still a few seats left for Caterer and Hotelkeeper’s first Chef Eats Out lunch of 2006, which is taking place on 27 February. more
(07 February 2006 10:40)

MPs attack Government’s decision not to introduce flight levy
An influential group of MPs has attacked the Government’s decision not to introduce a levy on air travel to protect passengers. more
(07 February 2006 09:57)

Owners of Suze in Mayfair voted Kiwis of the year
A husband and wife team who own Suze restaurant and wine bar in London's Mayfair have scooped the New Zealander of the Year Award 2006. more
(07 February 2006 09:57)

Base2stay launches first London apart-hotel
Apart-hotels, a popular hybrid concept in the USA, are attempting to grab a foothold in the UK market with the unveiling of a new site in London last.... more
(07 February 2006 09:56)

Mandarin Oriental appoints operations director Europe
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Liam Lambert as operations director, Europe. more
(06 February 2006 10:47)

What the weekend papers say
A round-up of the weekend's news affecting the hospitality industry. News includes: Great Eastern Hotel in takeover bid; Domino's dismisses easyJet.... more
(06 February 2006 10:12)

News in brief
Capital Pub Company expands London's Capital Pub Company has bought 10 west London pubs from Spirit Group. Capital, which is funded through two.... more
(06 February 2006 10:11)

McDonalds to revamp another 200 stores
McDonald’s is to accelerate the makeover of its UK restaurants in a bid to boost sales, which have flagged over the past five years. more
(06 February 2006 10:11)

Hotel's windows ruling victory
Hotel owners will not have to restrict how far windows open to stop guests falling out, following a Court of Appeal ruling at the end of last month. more
(05 February 2006 08:00)

Opening of Rhodes W1 is delayed
Fine dining at London's Cumberland hotel, part of Thistle's luxury Guoman brand, has stalled as the restaurant still has to be designed, Caterer can.... more
(04 February 2006 08:05)

More sites on way for Ping Pong chain
Dim sum group Ping Pong is to open a third London site in less than a year. more
(04 February 2006 08:00)

Knife trick kills chef
A pub chef in Berkshire died after tragically mistiming a knife trick he performed in front of a 14-year-old porter. more
(03 February 2006 17:13)

Local authorities to pitch for new casino sites
The Government’s Casino Advisory Panel has invited local authorities to pitch for one of the 17 new casinos planned under the new Gambling Act to be.... more
(03 February 2006 15:51)

Burger King to float
Hamburger chain Burger King is planning a swift return to public ownership in the wake of improved trading results. more
(03 February 2006 15:10)

Companies face a blitz on benefits
Hospitality companies will be in the firing line again this year as the taxman targets staff benefits in kind. more
(03 February 2006 15:09)

BHA: Unite to fight high energy bills
Hoteliers and restaurateurs must join together to combat rocketing energy bills, according to the British Hospitality Association (BHA). more
(03 February 2006 14:47)

Rentokil's laundry shut-down may leave clients high and dry
Hotels and restaurants in the UK could be left without laundry services following Rentokil Initial's decision to close its loss-making linen and.... more
(03 February 2006 14:07)

Butlins' Shoreline hits third of 2006 sales target in one month
Butlins’ first resort hotel, the Shoreline in Bognor Regis, has achieved one-third of its target sales for 2006 in January alone. more
(03 February 2006 14:07)

Oxo Tower kisses Valentine's Day plans goodbye
The Oxo Tower has abandoned its lavish £100,000 Valentine’s Day plans in a bid to keep favour with regular customers. more
(03 February 2006 11:38)

Little Chef launches new grab-and-go brand
Little Chef is to radically overhaul its restaurant concept with a grab-and-go brand called Coffee Tempo. more
(03 February 2006 10:38)

Chris Todd takes over finance reins at Center Parcs
Center Parcs has revealed group finance manager, Chris Todd, is to plug the gap left by head of finance Simon Lane’s departure. more
(03 February 2006 10:38)

Starwood's earnings gets a boost
Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ acquisition of the Le Meridien brand last year helped boost its annual earnings by $267m (£150m) to $1.42b (£798m). more
(03 February 2006 10:12)

FSA Scores on the doors scheme
How does your proposed scheme fit in with the Scottish trial? The outcomes from trials in Scotland will be fed back to Agency HQ to be considered.... more
(03 February 2006 09:46)

Catering contracts: What's it worth?
Business and industry clients need to understand the real worth of a catering service and its realistic price in order to help eliminate contractors'.... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Back to the floor
When BaxterStorey chief executive Alastair Storey decided it was time he sampled the training experiences of his company's chefs, Michelin-starred.... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Green and Red, London
Forget Tex-Mex, authentic Mexican cuisine is now on offer in east London - along with 50-plus tequilas. Dan Bignold reports more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Online: Protecting your domain name
Tuesday 7 February marks the second phase of the registration process for Europe's new domain name, .eu. Romain Dourlen advises how to register more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Red wine sauce from Macphie
Macphie aims to help caterers save time with a ready-to-use Red Wine Sauce. Made with red wine and veal stock, it's designed to complement a range of.... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Star performers
As any employer will tell you, a business is only as good as its staff. Butsometimes employees don't always get the recognition they deserve. So we .... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Bread from leaven
Making bread from a natural leaven requires very different techniques from those needed when using brewer's yeast. Master baker Dan Lepard offers a.... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Hotelympia: Expert advice
Hotelympia is hosting a wide variety of seminars featuring experts on all aspects of the hospitality industry. Janet Harmer gives a run-down more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Whose job is it to spot the illegal immigrants?
Last month's raid on Quaglino's restaurant has again forced the hospitality industry to face the issue of illegal immigration. Nic Paton investigates more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Food containers: Movable feast
We're all so busy these days that many more people eat in transit than ever before, so caterers need to be ready with hand-held snacks and portable.... more
(03 February 2006 00:00)

Vision gets a little blurred in the delivery
The vision is out there, but larger caterers still struggle to make it reality, says Chris Stern more
(03 February 2006 00:00)